Page 33 of Dark Souls Academy: The Sacrifice

Kain was giving up a lot and I hoped she understood that. He was the oldest son of the Devil, born to lead. He was nearly beaten to death learning how to lead. It went against everything he knew to give control to someone else. Ivy was the stronger demon, though, and our instincts demanded the issue be settled.

She bit her bottom lip, her gaze locking onto Kain’s. “I can do whatever I want?” Her whisper hung in the air, charged with an electric tension. Her demon liked that idea. The lust in the room surged, as if we were ravenous dogs scenting a feast. I couldn’t help but snicker at the thought of us as hungry wolves—except for Alaric, of course, who was already a canine. The white furball was cute, though, I’d never admit it.

Kain gulped. “Yes.” His voice brought me back to the situation.

Ivy opened her mouth, about to say something, but then the energy in the room shifted into something dark and unnatural. It felt like all the air was sucked from our lungs. Ivy’s body jerked as if struck, and a wave of alarm hit me.

I rushed to her, but the look in her eyes changed abruptly. The pain or emotions she had been experiencing evaporated, replaced by a cold, unyielding expression. Black smoke began to seep from her mouth and nose. It lifted into the air, crackling, then evaporating.

She growled as her body flashed from her dark Fae form back to her demon. It almost looked like she was an old television losing its color. The sight was both horrifying and unsettlingly erotic. My body responded with a twitch of desire. I could almost imagine pounding the darkness right out of her.

No one moved for a good five minutes as we watched the curse leave her body. When she sagged as if whatever pulled her strings had let her go, we gulped the air around us. That was a doozy of a curse.

She flipped her sweat-damp hair back, her pink eyes meeting Kain’s once more since he was directly in front of her. Her lust power filled the air and the spell that kept us unaffected was gone. Trigger said it would only last for a short time.

My demon instincts flared, and my form shifted into something primal. I rarely revealed my demon form. No Wrath Demon did.

Even compared to Kain’s eerie shadow beasts, I was spine-chilling. My skin darkened to pitch black, with a faded gray around the edges that made me appear as if I was floating. Spikes erupted from my back, their shadowy tendrils curling upward. My head, too, seemed wreathed in shadow, giving me an almost spectral appearance. The spikes were natural weapons and could shoot out like bullets. My mouth elongated grotesquely, filling with jagged, razor-sharp teeth.

I wasn’t smoke like Kain. I was a Wrath Demon, and my form was as intimidating as it was fearsome.

Tila had taken one look at my demon form and cried for a week. She didn’t want to be near me for a long time after. No one ever did. My brothers were the only exception.

If Ivy feared me like that, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. The shift was happening whether I wanted it to or not. Just like before, it could feel the mating bond needing to be completed. I hadn’t had sex with Ivy since we were mated by the Goddess. My demon demanded we mark her.

She hadn’t noticed my changes and spoke to Kain. “That fucking hurt. Anyway, where were we? Aw, right. Are you sure you want me to have full control? I have grown to enjoy torture in your absence.”

Trigger groaned and dropped to his knees at her side. “Me too!” He lifted his arm in the air as if in class. “I want to be bound and at my mate’s mercy. You can do whatever you want to me. Then next time, I’ll return the favor.”

She bit her lower lip at his words. Surprise widening her eyes slightly. The gunk on her skin hadn’t absorbed completely yet, or we all would have pounced on her by now.

If she thought revealing her darker side would diminish our affection or lust, she was sorely mistaken. We weren’t exactly paragons of virtue, and in a world where torture was routine, it was undeniably alluring that our otherwise kindhearted mate could also possess such brutality. It stirred a savage desire within me to claim what was mine, but I’d hold back. No one would take my mate from me again—not even myself.

Kain remained stone faced, but we all felt his arousal. Even as he spoke. “You don’t have to worry about causing me pain. All I ask is you never make it a spectacle.”

We all knew what that meant. Ourfatherliked to put us on the stage toperform,which meant having the woman that hurt us in every way possible do it in front of an audience. We all hated doing anything in front of a crowd. Except for fighting.My demon feasted on the rage of everyone.

Her face softened. “I don’t want to hurt you, Kain. I can tell you think I need to or have to. I don’t. My demon has no desire to make you submit through pain.”

His shoulders loosened slightly. He nodded but didn’t say anything.

Just as the last of the gunk on her vanished, her eyes moved to me. I had drifted to a dark corner where some of Kain’s shadows were to hide myself, but of course, she found me. My mate was smart. The real question was could she handle the monster I hid? I wasn’t sure if I could keep him restrained, and the thought of her rejection was unbearable.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

BONES

My mate’s beautiful pink eyes widened, and the fear rose in the air. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I wouldn’t cry in front of her like a pathetic child. I could hold my head up high and leave the room. I fucking had to. My only hope was for her to forget about what my demon looked like and only see my fleshy form. This monster wasn’t one anyone could love.

The shadows around us grew denser as Kain sensed Ivy's fear. No one had noticed my transformation yet; they were too engrossed with her. It took a few minutes for the whole room to notice the monster in the corner through the magical lust in the air.

When Dex suddenly jerked back and stepped in front of Ivy, I wasn’t surprised. Alaric stood rigid, his nostrils flaring as he detected my presence, though his eyes remained fixed elsewhere. He leaned into whisper to Dex, who looked momentarily taken aback before relaxing. Maybe my bonded brothers could accept me after all. They hadn’t seen me in full yet—the shadows shielded most of my form, though the red eyes peering through the darkness were likely unsettling.

“Sorry. I couldn’t control the shift.” My voice sounded pathetic even to my ears. “If you close your eyes, I’ll run out of the room. That way it won’t ruin the mood.”

“Bones?” Ivy’s small voice sounded worried, but not scared. Good. I hadn’t ruined the moment. Once I was gone, everyone could continue. I would eventually gain enough control to shift back. I fucking hoped anyway.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. My demon wanted to be part of the mating. I couldn’t control it.” I winced. That sounded like I was a preteen with no restraint.

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